“He received her with an open countenance; and when he observed that the melancholy which oppressed her did not lessen her beauty (for she appeared thus before him without surprise or fear), with a goodness worthy himself, he said ‘Schemselnihar, I cannot bear your appearing before me thus with an air which gives me infinite pain.  You must needs be sensible how much I have always loved you, and be convinced of the sincerity of my passion by the continued demonstrations I have given of it.  I can never change my mind, for I love you more than ever.  You have enemies, Schemselnihar,’ proceeded he, ‘and those enemies have insinuated things against your conduct, but all they have said against you has not made the least impression upon me.  Shake off then this melancholy, and prepare to entertain me this night with some amusing conversation, after your accustomed manner.’  He said many other obliging things to her, and then desired her to step into a magnificent apartment near her own, and wait for him.

“The afflicted Schemselnihar was very sensible of the caliph’s kindness; but the more she thought herself obliged to him, the more she was concerned that she was so far removed, perhaps for ever, from her prince, without whom she could not live.

“This interview between the caliph and Schemselnihar,” continued the confidant, “took place whilst I was come to speak to you, and I learned the particulars of it from my companions who were present.  But I had no sooner left you,” proceeded she, “than I went to my dear mistress again, and was eye-witness to what happened in the evening.  I found her in the apartment I told you of; and as she though I came from you, she drew near me, and whispering me, said, ‘I am much obliged to you for the service you have done me, but I feel it will be the last.’  She said no more; but I was not in a place proper to offer any thing to comfort her.

“The caliph was introduced at night with the sound of instruments which her women played upon, and the collation was immediately served up.  He took his mistress by the hand, and made her sit down with him on the sofa; she put such a force upon herself to please him, that she expired a few minutes after.  In short, she was hardly set down, when she fell backwards.  The caliph believed she had only fainted, and so we all thought; but she never recovered, and in this manner we lost her.

“The caliph did her the honour to weep over her, not being able to refrain from tears; and before he left the room ordered all the musical instruments to be broken; this was immediately done.  I stayed with her corpse all night, and next morning washed and dressed her for her funeral, bathing her with my tears.  The caliph had her interred in a magnificent tomb he had erected for her in her lifetime, in a place she had desired to be buried in.  Now since you tell me,” said she, “the prince of Persia’s body is to be brought to Bagdad, I will use my best endeavours that he shall be interred in the same tomb.”